Close escape as 'Twister' strikes
A screen grab of internet footage of the Forth Mountain funnel cloud as it passed close to a house there during the unsettled weather of last week.
AN UNUSUAL weather phenomenon over Forth Mountain is whipping up an internet storm on YouTube.
Weather watchers have been logging onto the video sharing site to catch a glimpse of a twister-like funnel cloud that was captured over Forth Mountain last Wednesday.
While the cloud looked very similar to the devastating tornadoes that ravage the United States, this twister was not in the same league, according to Met Eireann.
However, if the funnel cloud had descended low enough to make contact with houses, it would have been ferocious enough to cause structural damage.
' These funnel clouds are not unusual, especially in weather conditions like we had on Wednesday,' said Met office spokesperson, Karen Shaw.
She explained that they are often spotted off the coastline, and are more common in the West of Ireland.
The funnel cloud is a rotating column of wind, at the base of a cumulus cloud, which normal occurs when pressure is low.
'In the middle of these funnels the wind would be ferocious. I wouldn't recommend anyone to go near them,' said Karen.
- ANNE MARIE O'CONNOR
